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| Tonic Herbs : Supplemental therapy - Page 3
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HERBS FOR REBUILDING:
TONIC OR SUPPLEMENTING THERAPY
Tonic/supplementing herbs generate some of the following qualities when ingested:
- Supporting
- Nourishing
- Enriching
- Increasing
- Moistening
- Boosting
- Strengthening
- Fortifying
- Building
Tonic or supplementing therapy is for those who are in a deficient, malnourished and weakened state. This scenario is very common in our modern culture and is not just reserved for those who are in a third world country or situation.
For example, diabetes, known as the starving disease, is one of poor nutritional assimilation. Many diabetics are obese but are in a deficient state none the less. We also have in the West the scenario of the extreme dieting types whose caloric intake does not meet the needs of their activities thus creating a catabolic state - continuous breaking down of tissue. This leaves a person with a nutritional deficit. Another situation is the "fast food" vegan/ vegetarian diet. Often times their nutrition consists of carbohydrates (chips, pasta ) but low in building foods, proteins. Carbohydrates are known as the
" grow" food ( they help us put on weight as excess carbs turns into fat) and proteins as the "go" food, or foods that give us slow burning energy and build organ tissues. I liken carbs to throwing paper in the fireplace to get warm ( it burns up real fast) and proteins as the oak log in the fireplace that burns slowly. Proteins give us long sustaining energy and satisfy the appetite as opposed to carbs which burn up quickly and leave us in a weakened state.
There is also the Standard American Diet, known as SAD, which consists
of fast foods, sodas, chips, sugar, white flour, coffee, and other non-foods.
CATEGORIES OF TONIC HERBS
As stated, supplementing herbs nourish and invigorate. There are four categories of these that I would like to cover.
- Vital energy tonics (increase chi/pran
a)
- Blood tonics
- Fluid essence tonics (yin or kapha)
- Warming essence tonics( yang or pitta tonics)
Let's take a look at some of these categories and try to understand what each engenders. I am trying to create a Western model for some of these concepts so that the practitioner does not have to diverge into either the Chinese or Ayurvedic models. As Western herbalists, I feel we need to develop these categories using terminology that is familiar to us and that we can readily communicate to our clients and students.
1. VITAL ENERGY TONICS
The herbs in this category actually increase the vital energy inherent in each cell and throughout the system. The more vital energy a person has the more alive they feel and the more stamina they have.
Many of the herbs in this grouping govern the production and extraction of energy from food and air thus are building to the digestive system and lungs, both of which absorb and distribute the energy of life and circulate it to the various channels and organs. Most of these herbs are warming to the system, nourish the flesh, regulate the appetite, and control digestion and assimilation. When the appetite is balanced, the whole body can become strong.
It should also be noted that, modern medicine is beginning to understand what the Oriental doctors have known for centuries: the immune system begins in the gut. If we have strong digestion and a digestive tract which is functioning correctly we can expect an increase in our immunity and well being. Latest research says that about 60% of the immune system activity is happening in the digestive system.
Many of the herbs also help keep the lungs strong and aid in the extraction the vital essence from the air we breathe. The lungs distribute this energy to the skin where it provides our outer most aspect of the immune system, called our outer defense system. (one colleague dubbed this the "defense shield like on the Enterprise"). Goose bumps, for example, are an aspect of the immune system. Remember, the skin is a major organ of assimilation and elimination and needs to have the right care to function properly. Strong lungs can give us better health; When we breathe deep, the blood is invigorated, the skin radiant and the thoughts clear.
As we can see, these herbs can be categorized as "herbs for the immune system" but with our deeper understanding of digestion and the breath we can see why they are sometimes called immunity builders.
In Chinese herbology there are numerous herbs that are put in this category. I will be placing some of the Chinese herbs in this list because I don't know any Western substitutes for them. I am also going to place many Western herbs in this category and hope that the reader will try to see them from a different perspective than what was previously experienced.
As Western herbalist's, I feel there are many herbs that are growing wild in the US but are not recognized as tonic/supplementing herbs thus are not planted nor harvested. We have to develop a philosophy for them to be recognized and then we can categorize them.
I feel this work is an ongoing one and needs to be explored and expanded upon. In no way do I feel that I am an authority on the tonic herbs of the West, for in some cases it may take many years of practice and client feed back to come to any definitive conclusions. However, Ayurveda and Chinese medicine can give us may guide posts and ideas as to how to recognize and utilize tonic herbs in the clinic. I draw from these traditions frequently.
The reader will also notice that many of the herbs fall in more than one category. Herbs have many personalities and often times have more than one action.
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